Life in parallel worlds: Confession of Contemporary Witch – Life

From fairy tales to reality: Why witches continue to fascinate the world

« I’m a modern witch and I open openly, » says Barbara from Celna. Not so long ago, that Barbara said such a sentence, she would end up at the puddles. Still, Barbara is not lonely. Namely, many people believe in spells and sorcery.

Around the world, as much as about 40% of the population in 95 countries, the witches exist – it has shown a global study of economist Boris Gersman from the American University of Washington. In some countries, this percentage is higher, and somewhere significantly lower. In Tunis, as many as 90% of people are convinced of the existence of witches, while, for example, in Germany that number only 13 percent. As people who believe that witches exist, the authors of the study, among other things, defined all those who believe, for example, in evil views or spells.

Barbara, however, does not want to curse anyone, emphasizes in conversation for Dejce Vele: « That classic image of a witch sneaks and flying on the broom at night to inflict some bad people – that is, of course, complete nonsense. »

The curves for all that is bad …

But that was exactly the play about witches that make, between 1500. and 1750. years, numerous people were killed – first of all women. The diseases, dead animals, bad harvest, business failures – in the past had to find someone who was guilty of all the bad thing to happen. And in some countries, the sacrifice goats are looking for today. « The plays on witches that existed at the beginning of the newly history of humanity still exist in some parts of the world – as an explanation for evil or misfortune, » says IRIS Gareis. « Unfortunately, for decades, people who are considered witches or witches are killed in many parts of the world. »

However, in contrast to Tanzania and Ghana, where women who are accused of recovery must look for salvation in witch havens to avoid death, in the northern hemisphere people are quite openly practiced by their witchcraft activities. These are people like mastin (the real name is a familiar office, nap. Ur.) Who says, « As a child, you meet witches as good. And over time, you get on and start looking at the witch as a wise woman. »

Jastin says that a member of the movement « Wicca » – Vikanci are people who practice witchcraft, and the name comes from the old English word « Wicca » marked witches. As Vikanac, Jastin says he is able to enter « magic » into his life and the lives of other people. His Christianity, he passed, that magic was missing and that’s why he never felt at home there. Kult Vikca was created in the 19ty-year-old century, where, just like in the United States, he was recognized as a religion.

Parallel worlds

And Barbara says the Church was never interested. She tells us that, like a witch, a sofa « natural religions ». He says he talks to the trees, to fall into trans and establishes contact with ghosts with the help of drums. He adds that she learned it all from a shaman. « Witchcraft is rich and diverse. You live a little here, and a little in the parallel world. »

A witchcraft as a wise woman who owns special knowledge – as a person who treats other people or is active as a midwife is nothing but cliché, notes the Ethnology Iris Gareis. « Women who persecuted as witches were not as a rule, expert in use of various types of grass, but not always, as they often claimed, had red hair. It’s not mentioned in historical documents anywhere. » But that image has so deeply implanted in the awareness of people that even the fact that such a play about witches is not scientifically documented, it fails to delete from their heads.

Role model feminists

The phenomenon of modern witches is closely related to the 1970’s Women’s Movement – a movement that rebelled against the dominance of men. « The witch was a kind of role model for them, » says Gareis. « Of course you feminists were not women who studied witchcraft. These are simply ordinary women, but also intellectuals who accepted that symbol of oppressed women in their movement and appropriated it. « 

The spiritual aspect appeared in the 1980s. The Gareis ethnologist says that these natural religions primarily attracted women who lived in cities: « What I can imagine as a reason for this is to look in nature in times of insecurity. »